Defense Minister unfreezes work permits for Gaza Strip

The number of Gazans eligible to work in Israel will rise to a total of 14,000.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has decided to unfreeze the increase in the quota of work and trade permits for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

The number of work permits was recently raised by another 2,000, then frozen in response to a weekend rocket attack.

The one rocket fired was intercepted and the IDF retaliated against Hamas targets in the Strip.

Gantz’s move means the the number of Gazans eligible to work in Israel will rise to a total of 14,000.

“The continuation of civilian policy will be possible in accordance with the assessment of the situation and the preservation of security stability,” the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced Thursday.

Gantz has been leading a policy in the last year of granting civilian relief to the Gaza Strip to ease the pressure on the population.

Benny GantzCOGATGaza